Requiem
by Pirate Soul
Summary: Naruto is dying, from a rare 'disease'. As Shikamaru, Neji, and Kakashi delve deeper into the mysteries surrounding the situation, they find things out about Naruto that make him seem like a completely different person
1. Prologue: Secrets

**Prologue: Secrets**

* * *

_Remorse is cureless,—the disease_

_Not even God can heal;_

_For 't is His institution,—_

_The complement of hell._

_oOo  
_

_Emily Dickenson_

* * *

The Hokage's office had a larger group than usual within its walls, under less than ideal circumstances. The subject of their meeting, Uzumaki Naruto, stared nervously at the Hokage, Tsunade. He then glanced at the test results, his fingers shaking noticeably.

Funny how fighting against a shinobi with a blood line limit and a blood lust didn't scare a man, but a simple test result did. Rather sad, really…

"You're sure these results are right?" Hatake Kakashi asked, sitting by Naruto in the recently acquired chairs. He was playing the role of a fatherly support group, seeing as Naruto didn't really have one there at the moment. The remaining Uzumaki didn't want Umino Iruka to know about it, or the hermit Jiraiya… thus leaving Kakashi.

"I want to double check them but.. Seeing as its genetic, it doesn't look good." Tsunade sighed, rubbing her own brow as if the entire ordeal had her stressed as well.

"Did you tell Sakura or Shizune?" Naruto restlessly tossed the papers down on her desk, no longer wishing to look at them.

"No, I did it all myself…" Tsunade grabbed the discarded pile of papers, replacing them in the manila file they had come from. She slid it into a drawer which looked to Naruto, a little too easy to access… He would have liked to see those in a lock box somewhere. Naruto glanced at her, his thoughts written across his pale face. His color had been dissipating for some time now… And the rings under his eyes had only grown deeper. Many had noticed, but few had made any connection with illness.

"Don't worry. Only I have access to this. No one looks here." She gave him a reassuring smile.

"I suppose you want to suspend me from missions until we know for sure." Naruto had his fingertips pressed together in his lap, looking at the floor in obviously deep thought.

Tsunade gave him a soft look, before turning back to her usual boisterous self. "No, I don't. You're still breathing aren't you? Then I'll be putting you to work."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Godaime… That would be putting his and his teammate's lives at risk." Kakashi looked at Naruto unapologetically. They all knew what he said was true, even if it did hurt. "That isn't an acceptable outcome or loss. It'd be better for everyone if he stayed home to rest.

"I understand that, Kakashi but… I believe it would be better for Naruto's mental health if he keeps up with the team missions." Her voice told Kakashi this was a final choice, sporting the well-known tone of ' I will not be argued with'.

"… Alright. I don't agree with it, but if it's the Godaime's wishes, then fine.. I have to go on their missions. All of them." Kakashi stated fearlessly, clearly not in the least bit worried about the rank difference. "For safety reasons. They'll be running with one member unable to defend himself properly. The disease alters his Chakra use abilities, doesn't it? I'll simply be compensating for him. Less likely to get them killed."

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, only to be cut off by the Hokage. "You have a valid point. I think it's a good idea. Perhaps you'll be back on an Anbu team before you know it, Kakashi."

She always found time to scout out options to make her job potentially easier.

"Thank you. The voice of reason does win occasionally." He omitted to even acknowledge the statement about his potential reassigning to an Anbu team. Nothing he held any interest in, obviously. Naruto didn't really understand why – it had truly been an honor for him to be recommended for such a position. But, ah, back to the matter at hand. His health.

"Now, Naruto…" Turning her attention to the blond, she sat some papers to be signed in front of the two. "I do have to tell Shikamaru- it's protocol. Team leader must be aware of any potentially debilitating situations, and of any personnel changes."

"I'd really rather you didn't… I mean, we're not positive I have it or anything." Naruto immediately chimed in. Hell, he didn't want his ANBU team's captain to know about this – that's the sort of thing that changed group dynamics, that resulted in babying and all sorts of things he simply didn't want to endure.

"I have to tell him you tested for it- and tested positive the first time. You're ill, whether or not you admit to it." She shook her head, standing up. "It'll take a couple of weeks to get the second results in, just like with these. Make sure you drink a lot of water. No alcohol…" She handed him a folder with Shikamaru's name on it, and a familiar seal that meant only he could open it. Anbu thing, handy in many cases.

Naruto nodded as he took it, standing up as well. Kakashi followed suit. He took the folder from Naruto, adding, "I'll make sure Shikamaru gets it."

They both turned to leave, Kakashi going first. Tsunade watched them go, particularly keen to see how Naruto was doing. Her eyes followed him sadly as he opened the door and left her office. His cloths were hanging on him even more loosely than usual, showing how much weight he had lost within the last month.

She sighed, plopping back into her seat in thought. Tsunade spun her chair around to look out the window, eyes narrowing lightly. Kakashi and Naruto were exiting the building. Naruto was looking at the ground, and Kakashi had his hands in his pockets as he walked. It looked as if they were talking, but it was hard for her to tell from here.

She smiled softly. Kakashi really could be quite the man when he wanted to be.

**oOo**

"I'm going to drop you off at your house… You know, to make sure you get home okay." Kakashi stated lazily, his idea of posture a permanent slump. He was walking slowly as well, but this time it was for Naruto and not out of laziness.

"Nah, I'm meeting Shikamaru and Chouji at Ichiraku… Then Shikamaru and I are going to meet Neji to talk about or next mission." Naruto looked up at Kakashi, holding out a hand."Can't go home just yet. So it's ok for you to head on home, if you'd prefer. I can give that to Shikamaru."

"It's fine, I'll handle it… I'm sure you realize I don't agree with your going on missions in your condition… I think you should be put under intensive care. The first test was positive, I doubt a second one will claim a different result." Kakashi grumbled. "To keep bull shitting around is just going to get people hurt… or worse, killed."

"Tsunade's the doctor, and Hokage… She doesn't seem to think such measures are necessary.." Naruto retorted, feeling the blood pulsing through his temple. He didn't used to feel that so prominently, but now he could feel it every time his pulse quickened, every time his heart rate doubled… Eh, probably just Kakashi getting under his skin. In the right setting and situation, Kakashi could be very annoying. Self-righteously annoying - Funny how he hadn't noticed that before.

"You've fainted three times, and the last time, your blood pressure dropped to sixty over thirty... Naruto, that's about as low as it can go without your being dead." Kakashi shot back the laziness in his voice dissipating. "I don't want to see you dead – or anyone else - over pride."

"Pride? This has nothing to do with that!" Naruto's voice beginning to raise in volume, and pitch.

"Doesn't it? If not pride, then what exactly? Sheer stupidity?" Kakashi's posture straightened up considerably, as he pulled his hands from the warmth of his pockets to be waved in uncharacteristic irritation. Naruto's cheeks had flushed, he started to open his mouth to retort angrily, but seemed to change his clutched his chest instead, breathing shallow, heavy breaths, squeezing his eyes shut. "Ah, Damnit…"

Kakashi grabbed Naruto as he began to fall forward. He looked around him for a bench or similar to sit Naruto on. Nothing made itself immediately obvious or available, resulting in his attempt to sit Naruto against the street wall.

"I'm okay…" Naruto muttered, the grip on his chest loosening slightly. "I'm okay…" He straightened up again, the spell over, though his face seemed to have reached a whole new level of pale as the flushed tint left.

"Spells like that are exactly what I'm talking about, Naruto. What if that happens while you're ass deep in a mission? Enemy hot on your tail? They're not going to stop and help you stand up." Which he promptly did, "They're going to fucking kill you and anyone who tries to aide you."

"Oh, shut up, I'm fine…" Naruto pulled away from Kakashi, walking on his own again. "They're short, and I'm good at hiding. It won't be the death of me on a mission or anyone else."

Not one to beat a dead horse, Kakashi followed him, this time not speaking. Naruto was not 'fine', or well enough to participate as a Shinobi for the village. Anyone who said otherwise was a fool.

* * *

A/N:

Rerwrite of the old first chapter. Not great, but as much work as I'm willing to put into it. It's the same basic skellie, just dolled up... a lot. Noticed I really didn't have control of your vs you're before... Or its vs it's... glad I do now.

A/N End


	2. Chapter One: Ashes

**Chapter One: Ashes**

* * *

_ASHES denote that fire was;_

_Respect the grayest pile_

_For the departed creature's sake_

_That hovered there awhile._

_oOo_

_Emily Dickenson_

* * *

"Wow, Naruto, you look like shit. Been skipping out on sleep lately?" Shikamaru gruffly stated the second Naruto got within speaking distance. He and Chouji were standing outside the ramen stall, waiting on their third party member to show up. Well, he was actually sitting at the stand, standing would have been a pain in the ass.

"You look great too. Been skipping out on the workouts lately?" Crisply annoyed, Naruto took a seat beside his captain, who simply responding with a light chuckle, turning to face the Ramen bar as well.

"What are you doing here, Kakashi sensei?" Chouji looked from Naruto to Kakashi. He made a motion for the elder shinobi to join them, who took it without much protest.

"Naruto asked me to come. We ran into each other in the Hokage's office." Kakashi supplied, not going into further detail. He kept the folder protected under his arm, though it warranted little attention from anyone other than the blond it was about.

"You could say he practically invited himself." Naruto immediately made an exaggerated angry face, then he turned to Kakashi, snarling.

"Oh, hardly.. Now calm down. You're going to make a scene." Kakashi looked up to the menu, taking Shikamaru's other side, leaving Chouji to claim the far end of the stand. Doubtful he liked that. Kakashi would have to make it up to him later – perhaps with a meal or similar.

Naruto took an annoyed breath and did as he had been told, though not in enough time to stop the other two from seeing how it made his breathing oddly strained.

"Are you sure you're feeling well?" Shikamaru eyed Naruto, examining him up and down. His teammate really did look like shit. A very specific breed of 'shit', the type that gave the appearance of him having not slept or eaten in weeks. His eyes had lost their brilliant blue and looked a little more on the grey side. Even his hair looked a shade or two paler, and frail. He then glanced across Kakashi to Chouji, who gave him a look that stated he saw the exact same thing.

And what's more, these changes had all happen in the last few months. If that..

Kakashi saw these glances, and knowing Shikamaru had observed that something was amiss. , Rather lazily, he handed Shikamaru the file that had been made especially for him. "That's not something anyone other than yourself should read. Orders of the Hokage." An aura of smugness spoke volumes to the Jounin's idea that this would be enough of a push into the right direction.

Shikamaru nodded in an equally lazed manner, taking the folder and setting it on the counter in front of him. Or more like, letting it fall to the counter in front of him. Setting it there would have been troublesome.

"I recommend that you read it now." Kakashi pushed a bit more, barely hearing the chef taking Naruto and Chouji's Ramen orders. Kept the blond twat preoccupied for a moment, long enough to get things moving, uninterrupted.

Shikamaru watched Naruto give Kakashi and nasty glare, though the Jounin seemed to miss it. "No, I think he should wait until he gets home- wouldn't that be better for secrecy?"

"Perhaps, but what if it gets lost on his way home?" Kakashi suggested with a difficult to read tone.

"That's like, one chance in about a hundred!" Exasperated, Naruto threw his hands halfway into the air, as if he couldn't believe his teacher.

"Still a possibility. Happened to me once… And calm down, your face is getting red again." Brushing off Naruto as per his usual, Kakashi gave the ramen cook his order.

"Oh, yah, something like that getting lost on your watch is shocking, with your record of always being organized with your life!"

After they had all ordered, Shikamaru included, things began to calm down again, going back to the relatively normal... Discussions about the ideal Kunai shape, Shuriken shape, what ninja you'd hate to meet in a dark alley, and how good the ramen was at Ichiraku. Some of it had been goofy; some of it had been serious.

It was about the point in time they were near finished eating and laughing, that Shikamaru decided he would read the report. Seemed like the right time, finally. He checked to make sure if Naruto and Chouji were still engrossed in conversation about which ramen tasted best, when Shikamaru caught Kakashi watching him out of the corner of his eye. Despite the lack of his face's full visibility, his right eye generally portrayed his emotions well. Right now, it was a look of, 'Took you long enough.'

Now feeling curious as to the contents of the file, Shikamaru flipped it open noiselessly. The sight of Naruto's profile wasn't exactly surprising, the blond had been acting out over the file. Made sense it was about him. Everything looked fairly normal, up until he flipped it to the medical chart.

Well now. There was something to be seen in that area of the file. There had been a lot of tests done for something he'd never even heard of, which was saying something. Some sort of genetic disorder, passed down by his mum. Had to do with the blood and his immune system, all of which would be fairly unpleasant… Naruto had tested positive for the illness, and it seemed that Tsunade had ordered more for a double check.

Shikamaru glanced over at Naruto, flipping back to the front page and picture to compare him between four months ago, and how he looked today. Honestly, he didn't think second test was needed; just a look at Naruto's decline in physical condition would have been enough for him. It sure as hell explained a lot.

But the real kicker, was the fact that she had thrown in a personal note for him, or rather, what was in the personal note. It took a couple of re-reads to believe it, and even then he didn't believe it fully. About the disease, the medication… It all seemed a little surreal, a little too twilight zone for him. And the last idea was… surprising.

"Eh, Naruto…" He stated, making a perplexed face – one that he didn't make often. "She thinks you should still be on the Anbu team? That you should be participating on missions?"

So what if the medication Naruto was taking took care of most of the problems? There still existed the small issue of profuse bleeding if he was cut! Oh, and not to mention the occasional fainting spells. Nothing to worry about though, as she so bluntly put it. He'll be fine on a mission, and if all else fails, use his fainted body as a shield. Shikamaru wasn't sure if she was joking or not.

"What didja say-" Naruto stopped when he spied the open folder. His face darkened, metaphorically. If his face had actually darkened, he might would have had some color.

"I asked, has Tsunade gone mental?" Shikamaru demanded, closing the folder and lazily waving it over his food. He might be keeping his lazed demeanor on the outside, but on the inside, his mind was reeling with the facts he had just taken in. Few he didn't understand, most he did. It all came out to the same solution. Naruto was fucked.

"Hardly." Was the short reply, as Naruto drained his bowel of broth. "Sides, it'll all work on in the end."

Chouji looked between the three, knowing he'd missed something. None seemed interested in filling him in, so he simply settled for listening to what transpired as he ate.

"So you agree? Naruto should be forcefully put into a medical leave?" Kakashi turned his head fully to look at Shikamaru.

"I do."

Naruto looked at Shikamaru as if he wished he could squash him like a cockroach. He was probably also mentally giving him very impolite names, none of which were very accurate. Shikamaru was doing this for Naruto's own good, no matter how much of an ass the blond thought he was being by doing it.

"You should go talk to her about it. Now." Damn, Kakashi could be really forceful sometimes.

"Certainly… as soon as I finish eating my food." Shikamaru slurped up a noodle, getting back to the meal he had been neglecting. Not like rushing to the Hokage would change any outcome. Hell, giving her time to think on the decision might make it easier to change her mind. Maybe.

Naruto had roughly gotten up at this point, and had started to walk away.

Let him have a tantrum, was Shikamaru's thoughts.. Wouldn't be good for him, but it wouldn't change Shikamaru's mind either. No, someone needed to take control for him, if he wouldn't.

"… Eh, troublesome…" He shrugged, taking a large bite of his ramen. This would be such a pain in the ass.

* * *

A/N:

Rewrite. Thanks for the reviews!

A/N End


	3. Chapter Two: Lies

**Chapter Two: Lies**

* * *

_SO proud she was to die_

_It made us all ashamed _

_That what we cherished, so unknown _

_To her desire seemed. _

_So satisfied to go _

_Where none of us should be, _

_Immediately, that anguish stooped _

_Almost to jealousy._

_oOo_

_Emily Dickenson  
_

* * *

**SHIKAMARU LIGHTLY** tapped on Tsunade's office door, frowning. He was resentful about doing this… But it needed to be done. It wasn't betraying his friendship, he was certain of that… Nonetheless, the entire situation left an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach, one he could only relate to the one he had when Asuma died… Like a black hole sucking away his insides…

"Come in." He heard Tsunade call. Taking a slight breath, he pushed the door open, his knuckles white. Shikamaru was rather relieved to see she hadn't looked up form her paperwork to see who it was yet. All she did was motion to a chair for her guest to sit. Warily, he did so, edging his way over to them, not exactly remembering a time when she ever had chairs in her office… He supposed there was a first time for everything.

"What do you need?" She asked, still not looking up. Shikamaru sighed as he pulled out a carton of cigarettes, flipping it over and dumping one into his hand. He stared at it for a time, wondering if she'd get onto his case about it. In the end, he stuck it into his mouth, feeling that he wouldn't be able to get through this session without it. He swiftly put the carton away. With that same nimbleness, he pulled out a metal lighter, flipping its lid open. He spun the lighter spark, wondering if it had enough fuel… It took a few tries, but it finally lit, sending the cigarette's tip up in a small flame, then went out with a stream of smoke.

"It's about Naruto. I think it's in his best interest to take a medical leave." Shikamaru took a deep breath of the smoke, and then let it out through his nose, finally saying what was on his mind. He said it, in a hesitated voice.

Tsunade stopped her writing, looking up at him, her eyes narrowed. "You only skimmed the file then?" Was her rather crude comment, as if the profile she had ordered him to read should have set all worries to rest.

"I read it multiple times, thoroughly. And it brought up some questions that your partial medical record didn't answer. Like why hasn't a blood transfusion been tried? Or a bone marrow transplant? It would at least help the condition, right?" He stated, entwining his fingers together in his lap, slouching in the seat uncomfortably. It was much like sitting on a rock.

"Yes, both would probably keep him alive a little longer, but… When I offered to continue that approach on him, he refused the entire concept. It was just too hard on his body…" She shook her head solemnly, rubbing her forehead with her finger tips, letting out a rather drawn-out sigh. "Shikamaru, I can't force a patient to do something that extensive without their permission… And true, it is the only thing that's kept him alive for this long, but at the very end… It's caused more harm than good."

He only nodded, twiddling his fingers a bit, ignoring the small pile of ashes forming at the tip of his cancer stick. This just wasn't right, wasn't fair, for him, or for Naruto. He had tried so hard to gain respect in life. Which he finally gained once reaching ANBU level. It had taken Naruto so much work to get there, ages to build up the damn good life he had today… Only to have one storm roll by to blow it away? It just wasn't fair.

"I would ask 'How did it make it worse?' But I already know your going to give me a cryptic answer, because you want to abide by the idiot's wishes." Shikamaru noted dully, finally reaching up for the cigarette in his mouth, tapping the burning ashes into his gloved hand. "You know as well as I do he shouldn't be running around on these missions. He needs to be under twenty four hour care, in a hospital, or some special care place, like Shiroi-"

"Can you really see him allowing me to do that, Shikamaru? Of his own free will?" Tsunade asked softly, shaking her head as if that was the most unlikely thing of all. Silence ensued, as it always did in such uncomfortable situations…

Shikamaru looked rather taken aback, then looked down at his pocket, the one that held the metal lighter. It was a rather ornate thing for his taste, as it was metal, and held a picture of his rat ANBU mask on it… Never, would he have gotten such a thing for himself. No, it had been a gift from Naruto, for his seventeenth birthday, and as a congratulations gift for his making it to ANBU captain. He felt the black hole in his stomach grow considerably, as he thought about how in less than four months, he'd loose one of his best friends. Just as a side note, it took a lot of effort on the person's part, for him to call them a best friend.

"Even if he has to be tied to the bed and held against his will… It most definitely needs to be done." He finally said, looking up at Tsunade, defiant flame burning in his eyes. There was a new sort of silence between them, still awkward, but not in the same sense as before.

"For what? A few more months of life on his part? He knows that. I know that, you know that. But it's not, going to change his mind. I've already gone over the factors with him. Naruto said that it wasn't worth it for him. Lying in a bed hooked up to a machine, only to gain a few more months, wasn't enough for him." She shrugged, as if there was nothing more she could do in the matter.

"Not worth it to him?" Shikamaru's suddenly strained voice cracked with this sentence. Dumping the ashes to the floor, he laid his hand over his eyes, hiding them from Tsunade pity filled look. He leaned forward, trying to stop the tears from running down his cheeks as his dam of emotional blockage broke, the entire conversation's gravity finally taking its toll. "He's become… One of those friends…" His voice was racked with heavy sobs as he leaned forward, his shoulders shaking. It was obvious how hard he was trying to hide these emotions, "… That you just can't imagine… not having around… Yeah, he can be annoying… As hell… But he's always got his heart… Into everything he does…" He laughed lightly with the 'Annoying as hell' statement, though the tears kept coming for a time.

Tsunade made no comment, letting him cry, letting him let out his emotions. That was the only way he could actually get past what was going on, at least long enough to think straight. She watched as he finally started to quiet down, the shakes in his shoulders stopping abruptly. Shikamaru sat up, rubbing at his red, swollen eyes furiously, leaving no other sign he had been crying. The dam was back in place.

"It's still not in his best interest to keep this pushing himself up. He'll kill himself-" Shikamaru stopped speaking with an odd amount of obedience, as she raised her hand for silence.

"He and I have a deal. I promise him one last mission, and he promised to admit himself into the hospital afterward…" It was obvious there was something far more to it than that, but she didn't say it… For the first time in the conversation, Shikamaru didn't press the matter. Something about her hesitation, gave told him that whatever else Naruto had said, should remain hidden. Though Shika had a pretty damn good guess at what it was… And if that was it, at least it explained why she was going about it in this way.

So all he did was weakly nod, looking down at the ground acting like a person who felt he had the world on his shoulders, and then some. Tsunade gave him a sad smile, though he didn't see it, for it was gone far too quickly.

"I see that he's found some good friends here… Ones that really do care." _Ones he can call family_, was what her new look said, the added statement not meant to be heard, only felt. Shikamaru only nodded again, still not looking up at her. The cigarette sat forgotten in his hand, nothing but the filter left… It had burned to the end, neglected.

"Nah, I'd say it's the other way around…" He finally looked up at her, not smiling, not frowning- his face was blank as a piece of paper, in a grim sort of way. They sat in silence for another good long while, letting the facts sink in, before either spoke again.

"What did you mean, by his medical record being partial?" Tsunade commented, not one to leave strings lying around. She leaned back into her chair, crossing her legs. Her lips were firmly pressed together into a line, much like a little girl who refused to eat her broccoli.

"I'm surprised no one else noticed. You only gave a bit of what's been going on in the record. You never once mentioned even making the attempts to do a blood transfusion, or a bone marrow transplant. But the way you just said 'It was too hard on his body' and 'It caused more harm than good', meant you had already tried them." Yes, he had in a way tricked the Godaime into saying far more than she wanted to. "Why weren't they recorded?"

"… You're too clever, Shikamaru." She stated, her face darkening into a glare, which he countered bravely. "I'm in no position to tell you anything further to do with this matter. Knowing your type, you're going to dig as far and deep as you can until you get the answers. I don't even have all of them, and I'm already regretting my involvement. Don't waste your time with it. Let sleeping dogs lie."

Shikamaru opened his mouth in protest, when a loud knocking came at the door. He turned in his seat to look back at it, and then stood up. This conversation would just have to wait, he didn't want people to listen in on it. "I'll be back to finish this with you later, Godaime Sama."

"No, you won't. It's over, as far as I'm concerned." She shook her head, adding grimly, "Let whoever it is in on your way out, and please, remember, _do not tell anyone about this_… It's up to Naruto past this point who knows and who doesn't."

He stared at her for a moment, before briskly turning away, roughly pulling the door open. Haruno Sakura stood there, leaning forward into the door, dozen's of 'to be signed' papers in her arms… Her face looked shocked at how quickly the door had been pulled open, and a little scared she had been caught in the act of eavesdropping. It was with good reason that he had decided the conversation should end here…

"Anee, Ah, Shikamaru, hi! How... er, are you?" Her voice was slightly shaky and full of fake high pitch innocence. She stood up straight, rubbing the back o her neck. "Beautiful day out, eh?" Her expression changed when she saw Shikamaru's eyes. Ung, was it that obvious he had been crying? Shit. "Hey… What's wrong? Your eyes are all red."

Curiously, he looked back at Tsunade. Sakura didn't know yet? Wouldn't Naruto have told her already? Told her _first? _They had been involved pretty heavily at some point in time… Had they broken up? They had seemed like the perfect couple…

Tsunade nodded, confirming his thoughts on her ignorance of the matter. That seemed odd to him… But if that was how Naruto wanted, he had no right to argue. "Ah, well, the Godaime just threw salt in my eyes; she was tired of hearing my complaints of my team never having enough Kunai or Shuriken. She's rather cheap most of the time." Tsunade looked torn between giving him a thumbs up for keeping the secret, or flipping him off for the 'cheap' statement.

"That she is, Shikamaru kun. Very cheap. I'll try and put a good word in for you." Sakura laughed rather heartily at this, glad he didn't accuse her of eavesdropping, then stepping around him, dropping the large pile of papers onto Tsunade's desk. Poor Godaime was over in her chair fuming at the insults. He wondered how on earth Sakura was going to put in a good word, when the Godaime just heard all of that? Shrugging, he finally took a step out of the office, leaving the door open. He was almost halfway down the hall, when he heard the sound of someone running behind him. Shikamaru stepped to the side to let them pass…

"Eh, Shikamaru, I haven't seen Naruto around lately… Is he okay? I mean, he hasn't talked to me about anything recently, so… I was hoping maybe he'd talked to you?" He jumped lightly, turning back. Sakura had hurried out of the office to ask him this before he left… So Naruto really had cut it off with her… Did the disease he had scare him that badly?

"No… He hasn't. Sorry." He pulled out the lighter, flipping it open, then closed a few times. "I would help you if I could, but-" She cut him off, a new request brewing in her mind.

"Then… If he does tell you something, could you tell me? Please? I want to, no need to know what's been going on with him." Her eyes were full of pleading. The eyes of a girl who waned to help someone so terribly… but couldn't, because he won't let her in…

Shikamaru shook his head, slowly looking down at the lighter, still flicking it open, closed. Open. Close. "Sakura san, he doesn't tell me much of anything either. To him, I'm not someone to confide in… Just one to invite over for an Oni beer and tell war stories with." Well, that was, how he felt now, in a way, because of the fact Naruto hadn't told him about this sooner.

"Oh… Sorry about taking up your time." Was her disappointed voice. She had already turned away, and gone back into Tsunade's office, before he could even say what he was thinking- _'Sakura, why don't you just ask him what's wrong?'_

**oOo**

**SHIKAMARU WASN'T** shocked to find Kakashi waiting for him outside, leaning against the wall. He was shocked to see, that his nose wasn't stuck in one of the 'Icha Icha Paradiso!' books, but inside Naruto's profile, reading it, and memorizing it, judging from the look on his face. It was a grim, but determined one. He stuck it under his arm as he took his place at Shika's side.

"Naruto already home, Kakashi sensei?" Shikamaru asked bitterly, pulling out his carton, and dumping a cigarette into his hand. The Jounin's only comment was holding his hand out for one of the cigarettes, which the ANBU did provide. There was a silence between them (Shika was about tired of all these uncomfortable silence, they gave him too many chances to think about what was going on), broken only by the wind, and spinning of the lighter spark.

"Yes, he is. How long he stays while I'm not looking over his shoulder, is another matter entirely." Kakashi pulled down his mask. He had become accustom to doing so around Shikamaru, Neji, and Naruto. It didn't bother him. This was mostly because of the fact they often ate together now. "What was the verdict?" He made it sound like the meeting with the Godaime had been some sort of trial.

"Apparently, they have a deal going- He gets one last mission, then when he comes back, he admits himself into care…" Shikamaru shook his head, knowing Kakashi had already come to the same conclusion he had, of what Naruto's plans were for that mission.

The Jounin bitterly shook his head, his voice no higher than a growl. "I was informed of it already… What is she thinking, it's obvious what Naruto's plan is…" He stopped speaking, as if uttering it would be too much… Of course, Shikamaru could understand, just thinking it seemed so terribly wrong… "He has no intention of coming back from the mission. Even if it means killing himself…"

"She's choosing to let him do it. I can't see him lying in a bed waiting to die, can you? It's just not how he'd go about it… In fact, I think agree with her now. Completely." Kakashi gave him a look, one that portrayed his feelings of being betrayed rather well. He then sighed, rubbing his forehead as if he had a splitting migraine.

"He agrees, she agrees… And as long as you do… then who the hell do I have on my side in the matter?" Kakashi pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, exhaling the smoke slowly, letting out a small groan. "I need some fucking Ibuprofen or something…"

Shikamaru only shrugged. They were walking past the Academy now, so he looked past the fence, and into the training ground. He spotted Iruka working with two of the students who had obviously been fighting with one another, in quite the violent matter; one was bleeding from the lip… He probably didn't know either, if Naruto was keeping it so secret… "Kakashi sensei… What do you know about the BT and BMT?"

"BT and BMT? What the hell is that?"

"Blood transfusion, bone marrow transplant. What do you know about Naruto having them?" Shikamaru stopped walking, grabbing Kakashi's forearm, forcefully turning the man to face him fully. "You sent me in there with a slight handicap. If you'd given me all the facts from the start, then I would have been able to put up a decent argument, or at least been able to make an educated decision!"

"Shikamaru, I have no idea what you're talking about. There hasn't been enough time for Tsunade to administer anything like that! Naruto would have had to know about having this for years-" His words halted, looking down at Shikamaru. Once again, both had come to a similar conclusion. "But… He's been acting like this is all new to him… Why the hell would he lie about…" Kakashi stopped speaking, down in deep thought on the matter.

So was Shikamaru. The act, Naruto and Tsunade had been putting on… He started to swiftly walk, pulling the dazed Kakashi behind him to as place they could talk privately, without anyone listening in unless invited. The Hyuuga mansion. Of course, he also wanted to get Neji's opinion on the matter, which would be dreadfully important. Screw Tsunade's request of not telling anyone else- Neji had the right to know… Sides, she _did_ withhold important information from him. "Give me the medical record. I want to see something."

Kakashi did so, now walking with the same determination Shikamaru was. "What are you thinking now?" He asked, as the Naara turned into a rather crowded street. It was difficult to keep with one another, especially with one reading and not paying attention to where he was going, but they managed.

There was no response, not at first. After a few minutes, Shikamaru just stopped in the middle of the street, pointing to a printer mark on the side of the medical sheet. Usually a sign that the printer was screwed up in some way... "Medical records stay with you all your life, for the most part. You don't get new ones unless yours burns in a fire, gets soaked beyond legibility, your sick ALL the time, etc… This is brand new." He flipped back to the profile page, pointing to identical markings on that page. "Now, look here, at the marks on the profile from the Hokage's office… We were never actually given the originals…" He handed one of the papers to Kakashi, so that they could both be compared at the same time. The Jounin's eyes widened slightly, Shikamaru finally getting to the point. "It's a fake. She illegally copied the record, to fill it in in a way to keep up with their story."

"It's not all that unlikely that it's a copy, why would she give us the originals?" Kakashi didn't seem very convinced by this. Shikamaru only pointed out a seal on the profile page.

"That's supposed to mean it's the original notarized version. There's a different one for the copies."

"Son of a bitch…" Kakashi laughed a bit, rubbing his head once again, someone bumping into him rather roughly. The cigarette fell out of his mouth, quickly stamped out by people. Finding this to not be the best spot for a discussion, he began to walk again, Shikamaru following him. "But why would they want to hide it? And why have they told us about it now? It doesn't make much sense at all to go through all this trouble…"

"Because whatever it is, is bigger than just Naruto?" Shikamaru suggested, suddenly quoting the Godaime. _"I'm in no position to tell you anything further to do with this matter. Knowing your type, you're going to dig as far and deep as you can until you get the answers. I don't even have all of them, and I'm already regretting my involvement. Don't waste your time with it. Let sleeping dogs lie… _Tsunade's exact words. What do we do?"

What do they do? A damn good question, though the two choices were obvious. "We're in the loop, and yet we're not…" Kakashi shook his head. "That's leaves us with A, we go into this as far as we can, or B, we stop here, and wait to see how it all unfolds… Whatever it is. I personally… Go for A."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement, going for the same as Kakashi. Neither could let something like this go… For personal reasons, as well as business ones. "I'm sure Neji will have an opinion, he's the conspiracy theorist… With the way he studies the past Hokages' actions… If anyone were to know _something_ about what's going on, he would… And if not that, he could at least make a connection to some past event..."

"Do you think the disease is even genetic?" Kakashi asked, voicing something Shikamaru actually hadn't thought of… His mind began to go over the facts in his mind… There was always the possibility, considering all the earlier lies…

"I still believe it is, but there's only one way to be certain." He glanced up at Kakashi. "We have to get the original file. Have to. That's the only way we can be certain of anything… So we can't go building full conclusions on that subject, not just yet…" Shikamaru stopped walking, as they came to the end of the empty street. Just one more stretch before they were at the Hyuuga mansion. "I know I don't have to tell you not to confront Naruto about this."

"Of course I won't…" Kakashi shook his head, probably wishing even harder for an Ibuprofen. "I'm going on back to check on him… Anything you want me to be on the lookout for in his house?" The Jounin nodded at the ANBU, who only shrugged, sighing as he took the paper away from the Jounin, putting it back into the folder…

"Just whatever seems out of the ordinary. Might be something he's had around for ages, but you never really made note of…" When Shikamaru looked back up, Kakashi was gone, having already left to complete his 'mission'. Good, the Jounin was serious about it… He sighed, as he made his way down the road, trying to contemplate what exactly could be going on. What was Tsunade and Naruto trying so hard to cover up? Why did it take so long for this situation to come out? What was so important Tsunade would risk her position as Hokage, to keep it under wraps?

He made his step a bit more brisk, feeling Neji might shed some light on the ordeal…

* * *

A/N:

The salt in his face: It's tradition in Japan that if you have something bad in your home, you should throw salt at it and it should go away. Most commonly refers to demons.

Hope the writings not too bad... If it seems kinda corny, oh well...

A/N End


	4. Chapter Three: Deny Everything

**Name: **Requiem

**Chapter Name:** Chapter 3, Deny Everything

* * *

SURGEONS must be very careful

When they take the knife!

Underneath their fine incisions

Stirs the culprit,—Life!

-Emily Dickenson

* * *

**RARELY DID** Naruto lock his door anymore. He had found no need for it, living as he did. Friends and people he worked with came by hourly, often unexpected. Leaving it unlocked saved him the hassle of going to answer it every single time there was a knock, especially on the increasing number of days he felt like total crap.

Of course, there were times he regretted this decision. For example, times like now. He had just changed to his lounging cloths (a long sleeve white cotton shirt, and white scrub pants. He couldn't get his hair to spike anymore, even with incredible amounts of hair gel, so he had just thrown it back into a rather stubby ponytail), and started to boil water to mix his new daily meds. The white powder was already measured out to the proper dosage in a cup on the kitchen counter, ready to be made into a hot drink. He had just been thinking how it didn't always help with the side effects, but it was better than nothing.  
Then _she_ had to come bursting in. Her frazzled appearance reminded him vaguely of Chicken Little, right before he began to yell that the sky was falling.

"Well, good to see you again. Mind shutting the door? I have the air on." He kept his voice level, only giving her a quick glance. He had learned, that in order to get from her what he needed, he had to be a little… Different in his demeanor and actions. He had to be harsher than his usual self, and start thinking before he spoke. 'Course, he had to do the thinking bit anyway, now that they had started to lie to those he was involved with. Damn snowball effect. "Did Shikamaru say something, Tsunade?"

Tsunade snarled, breathless as she slammed the poor door. Windows panes rattled, as did half the dishes in his cabinets. He thought he heard one break. He continued what he was doing as she began to rant on her way through the living room to the kitchen. "He's already figured out that this has been going on for longer than what we mentioned on the records. Don't you dare say I told you so, I don't want to hear it. We had to say something, as your side effects are starting to show noticeably. I mean, look at your hair… Your mum did label this… _Thing_ as a genetic disorder when she was alive, so I thought doing the same would be an easy out." Tsunade took a little bit on the defensive there, he noticed.

"I just want to know how the two of you are going to fix this. I will not have my reputation ruined because of your parent's legacy-"

"I don't think anything they did, or I've had you do could ruin your reputation worse than your own drinking and gambling habits have. Besides, if this succeeds, you'll most likely gain an honorable reputation." He shrugged, rather mercilessly, as he poured the boiling water onto the powder, just falling short of the rim. At least she had been shocked into silence. Her comments on his parents could not be tolerated. Honestly, their research was crucial, so important... At least Danzo and the Raikage understood. If Tsunade decided not to help him, he still had them. "Though I DID say it was a bad idea, for the record… Are you sure that's all Shikamaru got wind of? What exactly did you say to him?"

After a moment, she did begin to relay the conversation as best she could. "…"

When she finished, he inwardly let out a gasp of exasperation. Did she seriously own up to his accusations? He had specifically told her to deny everything if someone should begin to put the pieces together. Now that Shikamaru had confirmation on his thoughts, Neji would be in on it, and probably Kakashi… Maybe even Sakura. He would have to spend tonight figuring out who all would be of advantage to Shikamaru, those he would have to be careful around (And warn Tsunade of).

This made things worse. Why did she have to come here as soon as she was certain they were under suspicion by the village genius? A simple phone call would have sufficed to relay the info.

Well, if need be, he could play the victim here, considering what they had going it wouldn't be too difficult… Tsunade might mention the Raikage's name, as she knew he was involved, but that would only lead to a deeper grave for her. The Hyuuga's hate'em with a passion and own a large portion of the village politicians.

"Naruto if they find out about that-" She looked at the drink he had begun to sip on, as if it were the bringer of doom. "Then not only will my reputation be blown, so will Kushina's and Minato's, for doing such a thing to their son. I mean hell, all it would take is them to test your blood-"

"No, Tsunade, only you would go down." It was important to have a Hokage in his corner, but it was more important that he stay out of prison… After all, his contamination had been an accident.

He was hoping telling her this tidbit would make her at the very least 'deny everything'. Now, to finishing putting in the nail… "How will they know? You deleted all the original medical files that mum worked with, didn't you? Yours is the only name on this. But of course, that is why you do all my tests."

"Of course I deleted them, but…" She stopped, her expression narrowing into a glare. Ah, as the age old saying goes, if looks could kill… "Did you just say… I'm your scapegoat then, if we're caught. Because you would be the victim, and how easy a card that would be for you to play."

"Right you are. At any rate, I merely said that to give you incentive to do your best. So you don't have to worry about me turning you in or anything…" Best meaning here, doing what you're told. "I'm sure you will, now that you understand what exactly is on the line."

"Tch. You are one slimy bastard. I liked you better when I first met you."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a better time…" Naruto dazed off, looking out the window, thinking on when he first found about this from Danzo… Then that first change… What was it Danoz had called it? Bone marrow transplant? Of course it hadn't been that, he had seen what they put in him, and there wasn't such a thing a black marrow…

He tensed, coming back from his memories. They weren't alone. How long had he been here, listening in at the door? Revert back… He had to go back to that mentality… "Also, could you try flavoring this a bit better next time it's made? It tastes gross, y'know?"

"Now Naruto, you know better than to drink or eat anything that doesn't taste right. Haven't you learned that a few times over with spoiled milk?" Kakashi's drawl came from the other side of the door. Obviously, he knew he had been caught. "Can I come in?"

"It's unlocked… Sensei, what are you doing here anyway? I thought you went home." He glanced at Tsunade. Her face had hardened, which wasn't quite as bad as a look of guilt… Kakashi sensei was a Jounin. He knew what to look for in people's expressions to see when they were lying.  
"We're in the kitchen."

"Oh, passing through. I never really know where the road of life will carry me. Hokage Sama, what are you doing here? We were just at your office..." Kakashi cocked his head to the side questioningly as he stepped into the doorway. He wouldn't have been hiding if Shikamaru hadn't already said something. Naruto nearly laughed aloud- Well, at least things weren't as monotonous situation as they had been. He had people to play a game with now. Who would win? Of course, game or not, he had to treat his sensei like…. Well, as Tsunade had said during one of her less eloquent moments, 'Treat'em like mushrooms: keep'em in the dark and full of shit.'

"His new meds. I forgot to give them to him, as my mind was on other things when we last spoke. Naruto, you understand the dosage instructions, right?" Her poker face wasn't the best, but at least she had a relatively quick tongue when it came to believable excuses. "You'll have to follow them pretty strict, as those meds aren't the type you can be lax on."

"Yeah, I've got the gist. I'll call you tomorrow to tell you how it made me feel." Naruto threw on a lopsided grin, putting a hand on his hip. Mindset wise, he was now back to the old Uzumaki Naruto, happy, carefree, occasionally pissy, and a little over obsessed with Ramen.

"You do that… I'll be sending Sakura here if you don't. And Kakashi, I want that report on my desk by tomorrow morning." Tsunade nodded solemnly at Kakashi, leaving the apartment with an air of superiority. Yet again, she slammed the door. Everything rattled again.

Silence fell on the apartment, which, Kakashi sought to break as he wondered around the room, as if trying to decide where he should go. Finally he chose the countertop beside Naruto to lean on. He could feel the Jounin looking at his change in hair styles, though fortunately he didn't make any comments. "She certainly works fast. Already got you on meds… I was under the impression it'd take longer than that."

_'She's not the only one who works fast, is she sensei?'_

"Same here… I think it's something left over from my mum's issue, though I doubt Tsunade would ever say so. You know, make herself look like a medical genius." Naruto shrugged, playing dumb. He chugged the last of the drink. Ew, It was chalky there at the bottom, he had let it sit too long.

"This it?"

Naruto didn't look, rather, he squeezed his cup till his knuckles turned white. Damn. He had forgotten to put up the powder. Here he was scolding Tsunade over doing stupid things… _Damnit_. Finally looked down, watching as Kakashi stuck his fingers in it, pinching a bit out to look at more closely. "Yeah, that's it. Not very impressive, I know."

"Bleh, it's nasty."

"… You didn't have to taste it-"

**oO0Oo**

**"BLEH, IT'S** nasty…"

Kakashi could have kicked himself for being caught. He hadn't heard anything of value, save that Tsunade now thought of Naruto as a 'slimy bastard'. And that Naruto's meds tasted nasty (Of course, he had taken the liberty of confirming that, which he regretted). The Hokage had come rushing over here, which she wouldn't have done unless she was really alarmed by what Shikamaru had learned.

He could tell that her presence there had only annoyed Naruto. That was the energy he had felt before being caught. Panic and annoyance. Then, it all the annoyance disappeared on Naruto's part, it changed being happy go lucky… He had only known one person to be able to do that, the late Uzumaki Kushina…

"… You didn't have to taste it-"

The Jounin's thoughts shifted, as the cup Naruto had been drinking out of fell to the ground, breaking on the tile floor. He grabbed Naruto's shoulder as his student covered his mouth with both hands and was overcome with coughs and body convulsions. Droplets of dark blood began to spray through cracks between his fingers, going down his white shirts front and the tile.

"The hell, Naruto?" Kakashi yelled, keeping a tight grip. The blood flow from his mouth worsened, as did the convulsions. The coughs turned more and more into gurgling chokes from there being too much blood. Could Naruto breathe for it? "Hold on! Tsunade couldn't have gotten far-"

He stood up, making a move for the door. But a wet hand on his wrist stopped him, and made him turn back. The convulsions had slowed, and seemed to be stopping. It was over just as quickly as it had begun, though Naruto seemed considerably weaker and dirtier. "Don... Don't… these… spells are really short… Just… help me to the couch…"

Kakashi did so, lifting his student up by his arm and putting it over his shoulder. He helped walk him over to the couch, and laid him on it, on so gently. Naruto sighed as he was laid on the couch, now not paying Kakashi any mind.

He hadn't thought it possible, but the blood had gotten a shit load paler.

Shikamaru needed to know. was definitely big… Kinda reminded Kakakshi of TB, except that he knew better… Where the hell did this idiot keep his team radio?

* * *

A/N: PIRATE LIVES ON! Sorry for the first thing, I posted the wrong chapter... And uh, I didn't seem the content replacement, thingy, until after I had deleted it. ;

OMG, an update! No, I'm not dead... I realize its been a while... But time's been flying on my end. Between college, Competition team, and everything else... Well, let me put it this way, it seems like to me I posted yesterday.

Anywho, I hope people are still into my story, and will continue to read it. I've actually started on the next chapter, so it should be up pretty soon, I promise!

I hope everyone likes this chapter, and that I don't ramble too much... Please tell me when you review! The last bit feels kinda rushed, so you'll have to tell me if you feel the same...


	5. Chapter Four: Worms

**Story Name**: Requeim

**Chapter name**: Worms.

* * *

**THE HYUUGA'S** inner courtyard for the main house was beautiful as ever, lush, green, pruned, and with the one large blooming Sakura tree in the far corner, it completely the look of inner peace. It was that tree Shikamaru just loved to look over when cloudgazing (aka, ignoring NejI and Naruto talking when together). Unfortunately, the tranquility of the place tended to end right about there.

"I knew you were slack, but this is a little ridiculous. You not only forgot the third member of our team, ho no, you are also about two hours late. Both of your teas got cold." Neji sniveled in discontent from his seated position on the porch, sipping from his own cup of steaming tea. His glare gave Shikamaru a rather icy feeling; a sensation Neji's pure white eyes did nothing to soften. So he stood there, slouching with his hands in his pockets as the words droned on. "…You've been hanging around Kakashi too much..."

Shikamaru sighed irritably. He had forgotten about the meeting completely (As did Naruto, apparently). Now Neji had an excuse to bitch and moan for a few hours, and nag Shikamaru until the day they were no longer associated. At least the Hyuuga would live up to the nickname his fellow teammates had secretly given him, 'Nagging Neji'. But, he didn't want to have to hear that right now. So he cut him off. "We, meaning you as well, have bigger problems to work out then what our next mission is."

The captain took a seat beside his subordinate, not putting his feet on the porch because he didn't want to bother with taking his shoes off. The glare from Neji seemed to intensify, making it extremely difficult to ignore. Luckily Shikamaru had years of practice, so handing off the file with Naruto's medical records without a sweat wasn't difficult.

"Read it. Now. When you're done, tell me what you think about it. After you read it." He added the last bit, nipping the forming sarcastic comment in the bud. Shikamaru put his hands behind his head, leaning back while he waited. He was too high-strung at the moment to just gaze at the clouds, so he thought he would just lie with his eyes closed.

Begrudgingly Neji did begin to read it. Occasionally he grunted at something, but over all it was a peaceful read. Once done, he sat it on his captain head. He finished quicker than Shikamaru would have liked; personally he thought it should be given a bit more thorough of an examination.

"It says it's genetic, but something about this bothers you, or else you wouldn't have found it important enough to show me. Is it contagious? Something to do with the Kyuubi? What?" Neji asked calmly, still sipping on his tea. His pettiness was lost for the moment, as his curiosity had been piqued, like Shikamaru had hoped it would be. "Admittedly, Naruto has been looking like shit the last few months. I've noticed, but his performance was fine, so I didn't bring it to attention… I actually thought it was drugs, as a lot of our ANBU and Jounin go that road… But that's beside the point."

Oh. Something Shikamaru hadn't thought of. Would Naruto and Tsunade go to such lengths to hide a drug ring Konoha might be involved in? If there was enough money involved… And if enough important Jounin and ANBU gave their blessing, even their assistance… Maybe. The promise of 'dying' soon would definitely be an ideal way to go underground… But it was so elaborate. The way they were going about it would be too much effort. It wasn't a drug ring. Plus that would mean Kakashi would know something of it more that likely… Nah, if he were, then he'd at least tell Shikamaru to fuck off.

"No, not drugs… Kakashi and I have been wondering on whether or not it was genetic. The problem is we don't have the information we need." Shikamaru sat up, looking at Neji seriously. He held up a finger, pointing rather rudely at his subordinate. "You're the conspiracy theorist, what info can you give me to develop an idea of what the two of them might be doing? Tell me what sort weird things have been going on with Tsunade that would put her on the Hyuuga Radar."

"Tch, well… She didn't really get on the 'radar' until two or so years ago… Since that first incident, more things than I could ever remember have been popping up with either her name, or Danzo's. Mostly Danzo pops up, but we all know how he is. Its enough to alarm us. "

"What kind of things?"

" 'Things' that have to do with Kumogakure, seemingly behind the villages back. Uncle is rather displeased, though you wouldn't know the way he's always invited over to eat dinner with her."

"Kumogakure? And what was the first thing to happen?" Shikamaru's ears perked, though he didn't move more than shifting his head to look up at Neji.

"Un." The Hyuuga nodded solemnly, but stopped before saying anything. "The main branch though, has decided this to be irrelevant to running of the village, and that it will not to be disclosed without good reason. Tell me what information you have that's got you alarmed, so tell me what you know so that I can assess the situation. You haven't told me a thing."

"I'm you're Captain. It's an order for you to tell me." Shikamaru stated in frank annoyance. Earlier he had been quite certain of telling Neji about all of it, but… Well, he didn't want to totally out Naruto. It seemed wrong now, perhaps because Neji was being such a petty ass about things.

"Blood's thicker." Neji shrugged as if this said all, which made Shikamaru grimace slightly. It bothered him quite a bit that the Hyuuga was so dismissive to the whole thing, and felt that he should be more into trying to figure out what was going on, for Naruto's sake. Honestly, Neji was loosing more and more of Shikamaru's respect the more he talked. Not to mention it hadn't been that long ago would have have said everything just to get revenge on the Main branch.

"How troublesome… Fine, but I do you a solid, you do me a solid. Are we clear?"

"Transparent. Now, begin."

Sighing heavily, Shikamaru began from the two or three hours ago he, Naruto, Chouji, and Kakashi, had been eating at Ichiraku, and the events that had ensued. The important ones, at least.

Amazing that it had only been a few hours… So much seemed to have happened, and he had gained insight to another side of their Hokage and Naruto. Oh man, the more he recapped, the more he hoped this wouldn't end poorly.

**oO0Oo**

**KAKASHI GRIMLY **went through the cabinets within Naruto's kitchen, careful to use the sharingan to keep and eye on the doorway to the living room. His student's arm was still slung over the back of the couch, and the sound of a rhythmic intake and exhale of breath told him Naruto was still asleep. The short 'spell' of coughs and gushing blood had left the boy exhausted. Overall though, it all seemed okay. He had managed to convince himself not calling the medic nin's was a good idea, a chance to find out more.

Shaking his head lightly, the sensei kept up at his search assigned by Shikamaru. He already had a few things of interest laid out on the counter in front of him. Such as, the earlier powder form 'medicine', and a four filled spiral notebooks Naruto seemed to have been using as logs for his symptoms after each intake of the medicine. The most recent one was missing, which had him loose about four months of information. It proved Shikamaru's hypothesis correct on this being old news, at least.

Those had been an accidental find, and Kakashi felt that if he had actually been looking for them, he'd never have found them, in their nice, open and obvious spot.

Unfortunately, he couldn't take those with him, as Naruto would notice it pretty quickly. He'd just have to memorize as much as he could while his sick student was out. He couldn't hand write copies of them in so short an amount of time… Kakashi sighed, his headache back in full blast. He wished he could have found the damn team radio, so that he could get someone over here to help him. This, for lack of a better term, 'gold mine', was too good a chance to clear things up a little. He didn't want to let that go to waste. What if Naruto noticed things had been tampered with? He might move them somewhere else, perhaps under lock and key, or Tsunade's supervision.

Perhaps he could read through them, and just highlight important bits- In short, take notes of them. Yes, that would have to do. And he needed a sample of the medicine. That was also a biggie.

Quickly, Kakashi searched through the drawers (again), finally pulling out some wax paper. He pulled off a small piece, and laid it out on the counter.

"Schnipp…"

Kakashi whirled back, hands out read to grab and throttle whatever had made the noise. After second or two, he realized it was just Naruto snoring. The Jounin sighed internally, turning back around and reaching for the powder. He'd just have to be quieter so as not to wake the kid.

Damn this had made him uncharacteristically jumpy…

He poured a small amount of the powder onto the paper, enough to test at least once, and began to fold the wax paper up so that none would come out. Satisfied, Kakashi slipped the small package into his pocket, and then proceeded to put the med back in its 'place' on the counter. (Naruto had never gotten around to putting it up.)

Now, to make notes… Kakashi stuck his hand back into his ninja pouch, pulling out a small little notepad he used as a recorder of everything. Hopefully he had enough paper left in the damn thing to get the 'highlights' of Naruto's logs.

Looking up at Naruto one last time, he sat down and started on the first notebook, reading through it and writing on the notepad.

**oO0Oo**

**"TCH!" TSUNADE'S** face was twisted into an angry snarl, as she walked through the village. There was no way in hell Naruto was going to pin this on her when things started going downhill. Impudent little shit, talking down to her like that and trying to threaten her.

'Accidental' contamination her ass. He had been made a Jinchuuriki at his mother's request, so that she could complete her studies on him. She had even come up with the 'genetic' disorder so as to help cover up things later in Naruto's life.

Tsunade felt she had exhibited extreme kindness in not telling him that harsh bit after studying Kushina's research notes. For some strange reason, as those notes made clear, it seemed more acceptable to Kushina to do those things so long as it was on your own child and not someone else's.

Because of her perspective, Naruto was the 'little Albert' of Jinchuuriki experimentation.

Perhaps if she had been a little harsher, and told him those things… Then he probably wouldn't have been so fond of finishing up what had already been started after the symptoms first showed up. Hell, back then, they probably could have stopped it.

She supposed she understood the whole thing of wanting to follow in his parents' footsteps, or whatever it was he was trying to do… Admittedly, she had been curious, but if he hadn't of said yes, she'd never forced the treatment on him… Arg!

Damn, she had gotten sloppy. Used to be, she always had a few aces up her sleeve, to whip out on the spur of the moment. But with Naruto, she had let her guard down. She had given him sympathy and look where it got her. Between a rock and a hard place; either this whole endeavor succeeded or she went plummeting down to the bottom… And all current evidence was pointing to the latter happening. Damnit!

Well, no wait. She wasn't completely screwed yet. Danzo was in on this. Ultimately, his allegiances were with the Hokage first, then the second party. Even if they didn't see eye to eye on every political subject, he'd still rise to the occasion.

"Naruto, you ought to know better than to fuck with me…" Tsunade snarled softly to herself, changing her direction from going to the Hokage's office, to Danzo's home. Oh ho, Naruto had no idea the can of worms he had just opened with that little conversation. He was just as guilty as she was for all of this. He was no more the victim than she was.

* * *

A/N: No Emily Dickinson today. Just the story... Also, I told ya I'd have it up soon!

For those of you who don't know, Little Albert, quote the wikipedia: _'One of the most controversial experiments in psychology was performed by Watson and Rayner. It has become immortalized in introductory psychology textbooks as the Little Albert experiment. The goal of the experiment was to show how principles of, at the time recently discovered, classical conditioning could be applied to condition fear of a white rat into "Little Albert", an 11 month old boy.'_

Rumor has it in the Psychology community, that Albert was Watson's illegit son, with a nurse he used to work with. Rumor says he thought it more acceptable to screw up your own child rather than someone else's. Just like all our parents, right? I'm just using that rumor as an Analogy.

Anyway, the writing ain't great, but I suppose it'll be survivable. Oh, and, REVIEW. REVIEW. Tell me if it's survivable! Tell me if it's awful! Tell me something, honestly.

To Everyone who reviewed You are wonderful people, and deserve respect of the highest caliber, because you had the stones to give your opinion, be it good or bad.

Talk to you later! Seriously, though, REVIEW!

Pi

P.S. I still love all the non-reviewing readers, don't feel unloved. You are still needed. xD

A/N End


	6. Chapter Five: Retaliation

**Chapter Five: Retaliations  
**

* * *

_SAFE in their alabaster chambers,_

_Untouched by morning and untouched by noon,_

_Sleep the meek members of the resurrection,_

_Rafter of satin, and roof of stone._

_oOo_

_Emily Dickenson_

* * *

Sitting in the deepest, most isolated corner booth of the beef restaurant, the investigating trio met for the first time a day after their conspiracy theory had started to bloom, prepared to give their acquired information and hopefully bring it all together for some sort of answer. It was less conspicuous if they met under the pretense of eating lunch together in public. Not by much, but better than raising suspicion by slinking in the darkness of some secret house.

"I would have contacted you right away, but hell, Naruto isn't exactly the most organized. Couldn't find your team radio anywhere to arrange a meeting." Kakashi handed off what he had gathered from his pupil's apartment to Shikamaru, giving the accompanying Neji an acknowledgment nod. "He's got months' worth of logs on the progression of this thing. I only managed to get through half of it just pulling out the highlights before he woke up. I'll have to find another excuse to get in there again for the rest of it."

"You recorded these 'highlights' perfectly? Down to the punctuation marks?" Shikamaru questioned, not doubting Kakashi's skills so much as confirming he had understood him correctly. It this conspiracy theory he had building in his brain were half true, and to be acted upon, then any sort of mistake could be very, very bad. Double checking might save their asses. A Jounin such as Kakashi would surely understand that.

"Of course. I imagine you're thinking the same thing I did." Kakashi made a move to collect up some of the beef on the table's center grill, nibbling on it almost meekly.

"The notes are meticulous. Like someone recording the results of an experiment." Shikamaru provided his conclusion.

"It would explain the time frames we've been given, and the real lengths of time that they've let slip."

"And Kumo's interest in it." Neji piqued up, throwing in his tidbits for the moment. He had been surprisingly quiet since they arrived. A little like he had been when their team had originally been formed - he'd loosened up a lot since then, though apparently that wasn't to be as long lasting as Shikamaru would have liked. "Hell, that's probably why he wants 'one last mission'. He'll 'die' during it on paper, and in reality he'll just be transferred from Konoha's care to Kumo's. I bet Danzo is involved."

"Of course he is. If he's not got at least a finger on it, then it isn't going to happen." Kakashi's distaste for Danzo was obvious.

"... We can probably come up with some idea of the experiment's goal based on the data we've got here. Probably. Looks like in a couple of them Naruto went into some detail on his physical reaction in reference to their stated hypothesis... though I'm guessing that's not explicitly said here. I'll see what I can come up with... Kakashi, the more info you can bring me and any thoughts you tell me on the material, the better off this will be." Shikamaru took the handwritten papers and folded them neatly, slipping them into an inner breast pocket on his green shinobi-designed tactical vest. "I'll make copies and ensure everyone has a copy. I'll deliver them personally."

"What's our next move, then? Tsunade and Naruto are clearly aware of our interest, and are going to start preparing a counter measure. We need to come up with something to keep ourselves alive." Neji grumbled, leaning towards the other two. "This is a lot bigger than just Naruto being 'sick'. I would bet yen on that. If it's bigger, then heads will roll in the revealing of it and in the protection of it."

"Let's figure out what it is before we start looking at rolling heads, please. It might not be something we want to stop." Kakashi suggested, much to Shikamaru's horror.

"What the hell do you mean? It's killing Naruto. I don't care if he's the ring leader in it; we have to stop it to save his life." He declared in a low voice, staring between the Hyuuga and Hatake.

"That's called being a busy body, and who says it's something that's bad for the village? Look, far as I can tell, he's completely aware and compliant. At this point, I'm more concerned if it's a threat to Konohagakure as a sovereign state, given Kumo's involvement. Let's figure out what the hell this is before we make rash decisions." Kakashi sighed. "Don't give me that look. I've had time to think on it, and if it's what's best for Konoha, then I'm going to let it continue. I can't let the needs of a handful of individuals outweigh the needs of the village or the country."

"I agree, unless it somehow furthers Kumo as a country more than it would further us." Not surprisingly, Neji chipped in with anti-kumo sentiments. Hyuuga's could be such a pain to work with, given they seemed to have one political agenda or vendetta guiding their every move.

"Since when have you been the... what were your words, 'garbage that abandons his friends' or some shit?"

"I'm not abandoning him. I'm still going to fight to understand, and save him I simply want all the information before I make any declarations."

Shikamaru said nothing, simply staring at the two hard. He felt mildly betrayed, now he stood alone on Naruto's side unconditionally. Nothing short of mass murder could change his mind on the matter. "So what. We discover it's something good, and we offer up our services in aiding it? What do you propose we do once we figure everything out?"

"I don't know. We'll cross that bridge if we get to it. For now..." Kakashi assumed the role as planner for the time being, which Shikamaru allowed without much interruption. Coming up with the next move was troublesome enough when the crew were on the same page. With them on different pages, he might as well be yelling at the wall. "I want you to figure out what the experiment was testing. I'll work on getting more information. Neji, test this. I know the Hyuuga's have the means. See what's in it."

"Alright." Neji took the small bit of folded wax paper, slipping it discreetly into his sash. "And you will be..."

"Doing what I do best." Kakashi shrugged, not giving them more information. His actions were understandable, the less they said, the better off they would be. Besides, Shikamaru knew, they didn't exactly need everything spelled out. He clearly intended on using some of his Jounin or Anbu skills, or perhaps even his Sharingan, to obtain more information from sources currently inaccessible through legal, normal means. Kakashi intended on doing the old school sort of Shinobi work. Probably in Tsunade's or Danzo's offices.

Or at least, that was what Shikamaru got out of the vague statements. "Understood. We'll start on it all tonight, I assume?"

"Yes. We can meet back up in two days with any new info... if we find anything truly fantastic, we can meet before then." All nodded in agreement to Kakashi's presented time line, and continued to eat the meal, intending on keeping things as inconspicuous as possible.

* * *

A/N:

This is really short. I know.

But I think it does a nice job of foreshadowing, and sets up for a nice little time skip. So I'm not totally dissatisfied with it. I never intended on this being a super long fanfic... but as the characters are doing, we'll see where it takes us.

A/N End


	7. Chapter Six: Build up

**Chapter Six: Build up  
**

* * *

**Naruto tightened **the latex tourniquet around his upper arm, thumping just above his elbow hard. His veins were getting harder and harder to find, which he hated. He could almost nostalgically remember the days when he was fairly healthy, when he had prettier veins. It seemed so long ago now. So very long ago. Grim at the prospect, Naruto lifted the winged needle, pushing it into the vein. Damn, first stick. He couldn't help but smile a bit, pleased at the skillful moment.

He flicked open the small, portable cool storage case on his table, pulling out the blue lidded blood tube, pushing it into the back of the drawing needle. Darker than average blood immediately began spurting, quickly filling the tube. Good to go. Naruto popped it out, placing it back into its cut-out in the case's foam bedding, going for one of the remaining three - this one sporting a green rubber cap. Fuck this was monotonous work. Such a shame it was so damn necessary.

So involved Naruto was in his work, that he didn't immediately realize the other presence in his room. It wasn't until he had placed the last blood filled tube in the case, that he turned to the shadows. Neither greeted in a formal fashion, rather, it was quite demure. The blond turned back to his arm, pulling out the needle slowly and sealing off the small hole with a bit of gauze.

"Finished?"

"Yes." Untying the tourniquet, Naruto reached over to shut the case, flipping the lock into place. He handed it out with his still-fresh arm, barely acknowledging his guest. Treason. Every time he gave his blood to Kumogakure, he was committing treason - of all things. It was kinda ironic, really.

"That's fantastic." The Kumo ANBU took the case and a few logs, gently pressing them into his sling bag. He also pulled a a scroll for Naruto, before returning the bag to its safest spot - on his back. "We look forward to studying your progression."

"As do I. The sooner we're done, the better off I'll be." Naruto placed the scroll off to the side, not particularly interested in it at the moment. "What is it?"

"The results of your last tests - they're extremely promising... We do appreciate your participation, more than you'll ever know. You're going to change the world with this."

"This shit better." Sighing, Naruto finally leaned his head back to his guest. "We do have some... potential problems."

"Oh?" The ANBU cocked his head to the side, his rat mask removing any sort of emotion the action might have enticed with a unobstructed face.

"Tsunade's feeling threatened. It's making her testy." 'Feeling threatened' was a very mild way of describing Tsunade's behavior in the last week or so. 'Hellbent on survival' might have been a more apt description, but Naruto didn't feel like completely damning her from working with Kumo. He didn't exactly want her dead. She was still of some use, attitude issues aside. "It's only a matter of time before she does something stupid, if she's left completely unattended."

"We will watch her closely." The Kumo nin tensed abruptly, turning to the window. The was an uneasy silence,

"Of course."

"We will also watch you closely. It would be a shame for all our work to get lost because of paranoia."

"Did you guys get my message?"

"Everything is well prepared for your arrival. You needn't worry. We are all quite excited. The work will be much easier without the delaying trips between Kumo and Konoha." Bowing in a subservient fashion, the Kumo Shinobi bid his farewell. "I will update you when we have something of interest."

"See you then." Just as quietly and quickly as he had come, Naruto's guest was gone, toting his all important samples. And misinformation. Why had he hesitated in telling the ANBU about Shikamaru and Kakashi? Just a few words, and a good portion of his problems would simply... vanish. Or at least be apprehended. They were getting so close now, treading the obscure edges of the ever widening area of gray that separated the truth from lies.

They were becoming a threat greater than Tsunade could ever be.

Who was he kidding, of course he knew why. They were still his friends. His family... and as much as he wanted to... needed to... he couldn't just abandon them. No matter what had changed. Naruto bit his lip, resting his head in his hands for a moment of contemplation. He needed to get more blocks to deter them, preoccupy them so things could carry on. A little longer, and it wouldn't matter one way or another if they figured it out.

Naruto finally turned to the scroll, unsealing it with the jutsu only a handful of people knew. For a moment, he mused a little. He had grown up so much in the last couple of years, since the tests started - gotten so much better overall. He couldn't remember what it was like, but not so long ago the results would have been little more than gibberish. How things had changed.

The Kumonin had been right, these were fantastic results. better than they could have hoped for so soon. Hopefully such results weren't actually a precursor to a bad thing. To sum it up simply, his 'genetic' infection was attacking the 'growth' quite well. Admittedly, the attack was putting his own body through the ringer, but if he could survive it... and if it could be reproduced in others like himself, then things would change. For the better.

He just knew it.

**o0o**

"The Carrier has left Naruto's apartment. Just need your go ahead." Crouched down on a roof that gave him a birds eye view to Naruto's Apartment's window, he had seen the entire meeting, and heard a good portion of it.

"Which way is he headed?" Shikamaru's voice crackled over the radio.

"West, it looks like. Got a whiff of him, earlier. He smelled a little like he'd just gotten off a boat."

"If he gets to sea, we're fucked."

"Give me the order." Neji's voice had lowered to a rather threatening tone. He wanted that Shinobi. He _wanted_ to kill that Kumo bastard. Get whatever it was he had been given by Naruto... maybe get a chance to figure out what the hell Kumo wanted. For all the work they had been doing, they'd really come up with very little on the why aspect - the only part he was genuinely interested in.

"... No, just follow him. Follow, only. He may have a rendezvous with a group. See what you can get... and even if you come up short, get your ass back here before noon tomorrow, got it?" Kakashi spoke finally, giving ordres Neji hadn't wanted to hear. Ah well.

"Understood."

"I'll go with him." Shikamaru volunteered immediately, though Kakashi immediately shot it down.

"You're getting the briefing for your next mission, tomorrow. We've got to make sure you're there on time, lest Tsunade start getting really suspicious. Neji... good luck."

* * *

A/N:

Yes. I'm building up to something.

This fic won't be much longer.

Need a beta.

A/N


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